Trust in National will disappear with deficit

Posted by Grant Robertson on April 10, 2015

Bill English is set to break his promise to get the books back in the black this year and lose the trust of Kiwis who have had to do it too hard for too long, says Labour’s Finance spokesperson Grant Robertson.

“John Key has spent seven years and two election campaigns telling New Zealanders to trust him, be patient and that he will deliver a surplus this year. But eight months into the financial year the books are over $260 million still in the red. That’s not good enough.

“New Zealanders have already begun to lose patience with John Key’s constant promise that we are ‘on the cusp of something special’. You only have to ask regional New Zealanders about that.

“If the Government can’t get the books back in the black after seven years there is something seriously wrong with their economic management.

“The reason the Government has failed to reach surplus is they haven’t been able to get the productive economy humming to generate revenue. National doesn’t just have a deficit of money, it has a deficit of ideas.

“John Key needs to realise that backing businesses and ensuring our exporters can compete overseas is the key to getting the books back in the black.

“There’s more to economic management than fiddling with the numbers and blaming accountants if it doesn’t turn out right.

“National needs to rebalance the economy so businesses and exporters can create the jobs and decent wages that Kiwis deserve. New Zealanders know that. But after seven long years National still doesn’t get it,” says Grant Robertson.